You may have noticed that a recent Labyrinth has been created.
St Andrews is the first church in the Sole Bay Team Benefice to achieve this eco-award and given we are a small PCC we are delighted to have won this bronze medal for the church and village.
As part of the Eco Church Churchyard management plan, St Andrew’s PCC agreed to establish a grass and wildflower labyrinth in the churchyard.
Ours is a modified Chartres design, as limited space was available for it.
We began by mowing the pattern into the grass and sowing some native wildflower seeds into the longer grass on Friday 5th April 2024. The path will regularly be mown but the grass and wildflower ‘walls’ creating the pathway will gradually grow longer. Hopefully, some of the seeds will take root anddisplay alongside existing wildflowers within the soil as spring moves into summer, creating a sensory experience as you walk. We are also growing some seeds at home to use as plug plants. Later in the season, the grass will be cut back and rest, allowing seeds to release to provide next year’s display.
Please walk and discover our labyrinth. A labyrinth is not a maze- there are no choices or decisions to make, there is one way in and the same way out, reversed. You walk to the centre, where you can stop before you return. As you walk you can engage in themes of journey and relationship: you may enter sorrowfully or joyfully, prayerfully, or thoughtfully; therefore, it can be a walking meditation. Many years ago, Augustine wrote of the concept ‘Solivitur Ambulando’ meaning ‘it is solved by walking’, why not try this for yourself?